A known type of electrical connector assembly comprises an insulating housing having contact terminals therein and having a separate locking or terminal position assurance member which is inserted into the mating face of the housing after the terminals have been inserted. U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,542 shows a connector housing which contains quick disconnect type terminal which have a generally rectangular cross-section and which are intended to be mated with terminal tabs. A terminal locking and position assurance member is inserted into the mating face of the housing after the terminals have themselves been inserted, but the assurance or locking member cannot be inserted into the housing unless the terminals have been fully and properly inserted. The locking member engages latches and prevents flexure of these latches so that the interengaging portions of the latches and the terminals are locked in their interengaged position. Terminal position assurance and locking member thus overcomes the problems of incomplete terminal insertion into the connector housing and insufficiently secure retention of the terminals in the housing after insertion, two problems which have in the past plagued some multi-contact electrical connectors.
Another known connector, disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/500,982 filed Mar. 28, 1990 comprises an electrical connector housing assembly which is intended to receive a contact terminal, the housing assembly comprising a housing body and a terminal locking and terminal position assurance member. The housing body has a mating face and a rear terminal receiving face which is directed oppositely with respect to the mating face. A terminal receiving passageway extends through the housing body from the rear face towards the mating face and the terminal locking member is insertible into the housing body from the mating face. The housing assembly is characterized in that the passageway has internal wall portions which have a fixed shoulder thereon that is directed towards the mating face. A cantilever beam is provided in the passageway, the beam having a fixed shoulder. The beam has a moveable shoulder thereon adjacent to its free end which is directed towards the mating face and the beam is flexible laterally of its length away from the fixed shoulder. The terminal locking member has a beam engaging portion which is positioned adjacent to the free end of the beam when the locking member is inserted into the body portion. The locking member is insertible only when the beam is in its unflexed position. A contact terminal having retaining portions thereon which are engageable with the fixed and moveable shoulders can thus be inserted into the passageway from the rear face until the retaining portions are beyond the shoulders. The cantilever beam is temporarily flexed during movement of the terminal past the shoulders and after insertion of the terminal, the locking member can be inserted into the mating face. The fixed shoulder is preferably on an ear which is integral with, and extends from, the internal wall portions of the passageway. The beam engaging portion of the locking member is moveable against the beam when the beam is in its flexed condition thereby preventing insertion of the locking member into the housing body so that the locking member can be inserted into the housing body only if the terminal is fully inserted and cannot be inserted into the housing body if the terminal is only partially inserted. The beam engaging portion is positioned beside, or adjacent to, the cantilever beam after insertion and serves to prevent flexure of the beam when the locking member is inserted whereby the terminal will be locked in the housing assembly. A second passageway may be provided in the housing body which is beside, and parallel to, the first passageway. A second cantilever beam is provided for the second passageway and the two beams are located between, and serve to separate, the two passageways.
It is now proposed to provide a connector wherein the fixed shoulder has been removed and cavity defining partitions provide an anti-overstress for cantilever beams located in opposite cavities.